Church of Norway Makes Sincere Apology to LGBTQ+ Individuals for ‘Pain, Shame and Significant Harm’

Amid red stage curtains at a leading Oslo LGBTQ+ venue, the Norwegian Lutheran Church issued a formal apology for hurtful actions and exclusion caused by the church.

“Norway's church has inflicted LGBTQ+ individuals pain, shame and significant harm,” the lead bishop, Bishop Tveit, stated during a Thursday event. “This should never have happened and which is the reason I offer my apology now.”

“Harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment” had caused certain individuals abandoning their faith, the bishop admitted. A worship service at the cathedral in Oslo was arranged to take place after his statement.

The statement of regret was delivered at the London Pub, one among two bars involved in the 2022 violent incident that took two lives and left nine seriously injured at Oslo's Pride event. A Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, who swore loyalty to Islamic State, received a sentence to a minimum of three decades in incarceration for the killings.

Similar to numerous global faiths, the Norwegian Lutheran Church – an evangelical Lutheran church that is Norway’s largest faith community – had long marginalised LGBTQ+ individuals, refusing to allow them from joining the clergy or from marrying in religious ceremonies. During the 1950s, the church’s bishops described gay people as a “social danger of global proportions”.

However, as Norway's society grew more liberal, ranking as the second globally to permit registered partnerships for same-sex couples in 1993 and by 2009 the first in Scandinavia to approve gay marriage, the church slowly followed.

During 2007, the Church of Norway commenced the ordination of homosexual ministers, and gay and lesbian couples were permitted to get married in religious ceremonies starting in 2017. Last year, Tveit participated in the Oslo Pride event in what was described as a historic moment for the religious institution.

The Thursday statement of regret elicited a mixed reaction. The head of a network of Christian lesbians in Norway, Hanne Marie Pedersen-Eriksen, who is also a gay pastor, called it “a significant step toward healing” and a moment that “signaled the conclusion of a difficult period within the church's past”.

As stated by Stephen Adom, the leader of Norway’s Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity, the apology was “strong and important” but was delivered “overdue for individuals among us who died of Aids … with deep sorrow in their hearts since the church viewed the epidemic as divine punishment”.

Internationally, several faith-based organizations have sought to make amends for their past behavior towards LGBTQ+ people. Last year, the Anglican Church apologised for what it characterized as “disgraceful” conduct, even as it continues to refuse to allow same-sex marriages in religious settings.

Likewise, the Methodist Church in Ireland the previous year issued an apology for “shortcomings in pastoral care and support” toward LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, but remained staunch in the view that matrimony must only constitute a bond between male and female.

Several months ago, the United Church based in Canada issued an apology to Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ groups, describing it as a confirmation of its “pledge to complete acceptance and open hospitality” in all aspects of church life.

“We have not succeeded to honor and appreciate all of your beautiful creation,” Rev Michael Blair, the top administrative leader of the church, said. “We have wounded people instead of seeking wholeness. We express our regret.”